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Scott Horton at Antiwar.com -
The Teetering Empire - empires fall. Always. The American empire's choice
at this point isn't whether or not to fall, but whether we'll fall
like Great Britain, by going broke, or fall like Nazi Germany, by
being nuked into the stone age. [smith2004] [End the War on Freedom]

We've gone so far down the path to empire and ruin that it may be too late to turn back the tide with writing or voting. We may be left with two choices: the bankruptcy and dissolution faced by the British Empire and the Soviet Union, or the total devastation and unconditional surrender suffered by both Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. If the anti-imperial forces of this country were to put everything they have into taking the House of Representatives in 2006, immediately halting the expenditure of Treasury money on this imperial mess, and bringing the troops home from their 725 or so foreign bases, we might be able to win some forgiveness for our recent violence. The former soldiers may end up as local cops or Homeland Security troops, but perhaps we'll be spared the airstrikes.

the taxman cometh. It's never a happy day when you have to write a big check to the Infernal Internal Revenue Service. Usually, I have enough taken out in withholding that I don't have to pay anything, or I even get a refund. But this year, I was self-employed for several months (working as an independent contractor), which means that I have to pay the self-employment tax that covers income tax, Social Security, and so on. Ouch! [Al-Muhajabah's Islamic Blogs]

I've avoided doing any work as an independent contractor (it doesn't appeal to me), but if I were going to I would insist on being paid "off the books," in cash or gold.11:54:38 AM comment ()

I doubt it. The modern concept of passports and visas is relatively new--not that long ago, people were free to simply go where they pleased without having to get anybody's permission.11:47:24 AM comment ()